Neraxis stood his ground, waiting patiently for the horde of Scrapfang to arrive. They were each a different color, and he could not tell their strength.
However, he did know one thing: he was a little stronger than they were.
The flat terrain and lack of cover were a bit troublesome, but it worked in his favor. He kicked the nearby corpse of the Scrapfang he had killed toward the incoming horde while preparing to attack.
The corpse slid across the ground until finally impacted one of the seemingly mindless monsters, causing it to fall over and create a small crack in their straightforward formation.
However, to Neraxis, that was enough. A single one fell, splitting the group—seven up front, while the rest trailed slowly behind.
Seems doable, he thought to himself while glancing at another Scrapfang corpse under him. If push came to shove, he would use it to give himself an even bigger advantage.
But for now, it was enough.
Neraxis began moving forward towards the incoming seven monsters while keeping low to the ground, giving himself the most room to dodge.
There were two closest to him that had spread out from the rest of the group, and using the limited time window he had, Neraxis quickly sped up before cleanly cleaving the heads of the two Scrapfangs off.
However, he had no room to breathe as the rest came swarming in. He pushed the two corpses aside just enough to create a scenario as though he was fighting in a tight alleyway.
It worked wonders since these monsters were stupid. Instead of going around the two corpses, they went straight through the narrow gap he had prepared.
This, in turn, gave Neraxis more leeway, which he took hold of instantly.
A Scrapfang approached, and just before it bit him, he swung himself to the side while cutting off its legs, making it helplessly slide forward while he focused on the rest of them.
God... this fucking sword is sharp. He couldn't help but express wonder as he watched the Scrapfang slightly push their fellow corpses to the side, giving them more leeway to attack.
Two approached, and just like the rest, their heads were cleaved clean off. As all of this was happening, he could clearly feel himself growing stronger and faster.
And he hadn't even used his skills yet. He was saving them for an emergency.
Nonetheless, enough time had passed for the eight others to arrive, and with now ten in total, his chances of winning lessened greatly.
However, he was prepared for this. He ran back to the Scrapfang whose legs he had cut off, using it as cover—live cover.
They seemed hesitant to kill their own, and although the one below him was barely alive, it was still part of their pack.
But still, that did not change the fact that a few came at him at full speed, to which he responded by dashing backward, making enough distance between himself and the incoming Scrapfang.
Three in total, and they seemed the exact same as the first two he had killed—overly emotional and blindly charging in.
Neraxis put on a small smile as he watched them approach before positioning himself in a way that would pierce all three of their heads at once.
However, much to his surprise, two were impaled while one Scrapfang managed to make its way through. Before he could fully dodge, his abdomen was grazed, drawing blood.
He dashed in and slashed downward, splitting the monster in half before stepping back and placing a hand over his wound.
Not deep... Neraxis exhaled a relieved breath. It did not go deep enough to cause any major injuries. It did not even reach any of his organs.
But still, it made his blood start pumping. It had been a while since he had suffered any kind of injury, especially one from such a low-ranked monster.
In a way, it felt humiliating.
Nonetheless, he had to suck it up and face the incoming horde of seven Scrapfangs all at once, all the while making sure not to die.
It was these types of battles that made him feel alive. Perhaps that was also why he didn't run away in his last battle.
Neraxis drew out his sword once again and stood facing the incoming monsters. This time, however, he had something he wanted to try.
That being the sideways slash Evangeline had been talking about.
So far, he had not managed to successfully perform it even once, but he knew the fundamentals. Plus, the situation called for a miracle.
[Eh, don't bother. You are still ways away from learning it,] Evangeline commented, to which he simply ignored her and focused.
Stretching the sword to his left and holding it perfectly horizontal, he waited for the seven monsters to come within range.
The moment they came within range, he put all he had into the sideways swing, and before he even knew what happened, he saw four of the monsters instantly fall.
What the...? Neraxis looked on, his eyes widening. However, the monsters didn't let up as they ran up to him and attempted to bite his head off.
The earlier attack had separated them enough for him to deal with them individually, and that's exactly what he did.
Exchange after exchange, the heads of the Scrapfang fell until finally, there was only one left.
It seemed afraid, its eyes darting around, looking at its fallen brethren. However, in the small moment it stopped paying attention to him, Neraxis threw the sword forward, piercing the Scrapfang's head clean through.
The sword continued flying until it came to a stop in mid-air before slowly floating back into his grasp.
Finally... That was a bit exhausting. Neraxis let out a sigh and sat down on one of the nearby monster corpses, one that was the cleanest.
But just as he thought everything was over, a voice blasted into his ears.
[Idiot! Do I look like some kind of throwing knife!? Don't ever throw me again!] Evangeline shouted in an annoyed tone while smacking him over the head with the hilt of the sword.
Sorry... He quickly apologized and looked forward.
It seemed like backup had finally arrived. In the distance, he could see a few Awakened thinning down the ever-growing number of Scrapfangs.
That meant it was his time to leave.
However, just as he turned around and was prepared to head toward the academy, a certain monster caught his eye.
It was standing just a few meters away from him, and it looked similar to the Scrapfangs he had killed just mere moments ago.
The only difference was its size—it was at least four times bigger than them.
That was to say, it was likely many times stronger than them too.
...E rank? Neraxis asked with a sour expression. The monster hadn't moved yet since he himself was still, but he never knew when it could strike.
[Not quite. It looks like it's F+ ranked. Honestly, I'd suggest you make a run for it. While I've seen you do unbelievable things, like killing multiple F- ranked monsters as a G+ rank, this one is way out of your league,] Evangeline warned with concern.
However, Neraxis was not exactly in a situation where he could just run away. The Awakened were far in front, while the backline was practically empty aside from him and some stupid civilians who were against evacuating.
Lost in thought, Neraxis met eyes with the stronger Scrapfang. Moments later, it began growling and slowly moving toward him.
Do you think I could kill it with that sideways slash I did earlier? Neraxis asked while entering his defensive sword stance.
[You accidentally managed to perform it, so unless you do it once again and catch it off guard, then not very likely,] she answered patiently.
Not a lot of options then, huh... He looked at the monster with a scowl.
But it seemed like that had managed to irritate it as its pace quickened, and its eyes glistened with murderous intent.
[Incoming.]
Neraxis rolled his eyes at her teasing tone and waited for the Scrapfang to get within the range of his main skill.
It was about time he went all out.